Guard rail assembly



Sept. 11, 1962 R. B. REIDER GUARD RAIL ASSEMBLY Filed Jam 6, 1960 [NVENTOR Ric/70rd B. Rein er BY W 90/.

ATTORNEY 3,053,456 Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,053,456 GUARD RAIL ASSEMBLY Richard B. Reider, Steelton, Pm, assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 763 1 Claim. (Cl. 23823) This invention relates to rail track structure, and particularly to guard rail assemblies with flangeway spacing means.

In standard railway practice, since the thrust of heavy equipment on the main or running rail is generally outward as well as downward, the seat for this rail on the tie plate is often canted inwardly (commonly 1 in 49) and provided with one or more raised shoulders to resist side thrust.

Where a guard rail is used, as at curves and switches, the guard rail is not canted, so its seat is normally horizontal.

It is also known to use filler blocks or chocks to fill the space between the webs of the main rail and the guard rail, While still retaining the required flangeway depth for proper wheel clearance. To render the chocks adjustable, they are usually made of interlocking tapered sections.

However, even a properly spiked and canted main rail will have a tendency to tilt or cook outwardly under unusual side thrusts. Conventional types of filler blocks or chocks are of little or no assistance to the rail when it is exposed to such thrusts, because they are designed to function solely as spread blocks.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an adjustable chock which will function both as a spread block and also as a hold down device to prevent the main or running rail from cocking under traflic.

It is another object to utilize such a chock and holddown device in a very firm and secure guard rail assembly.

A further object is to provide an assembly which will hold a main rail firmly in its seat on a base plate and eifectively resist any tendency to jump or overturn therein.

Other objects, purposes and advantages of my invention will appear hereinafter in the specification and claims, and in the attached sheet of drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse vertical section illustrating the invention, and taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the several parts of the assembly shown in the drawings, the main or running rail -1 will have standard base flanges 2 and 3 connected by web 4 to head 5. The guard rail 6 has a standard outer base flange 7 and an inner stub flange 8, with usual web 9 and head 10.

The base plate 11 has a flat bottom surface 12 and flat top surface 13, the latter surface being suitably recessed as by milling to provide a canted main rail seat 14 and guard rail seat 15, with side shoulders 16 and 17 and a central shoulder 18 having a middle slot 19. Conventional spike holes 20 will allow the base plate to be spiked down firmly on the ties and the main rail base and/ or the guard rail base to be spiked to the base plate.

The adjustable chock 21 comprises a pair of corresponding inclined wedge-shaped castings 22 and 23. The first or longer casting 22 is provided with longitudinally extending upper and lower flanges 24 and 25, and intermediate therebetween with vertical ribs or serrations 26 interfitting laterally with similar ribs 27 on the second or shorter casting 23, with the inner top face 28 of the latter engaging without clearance under the upper flange 24 of the first casting.

Said chock 21 is preferably made hollow on its external surfaces as indicated at 29 and 39 for maximum lightness, and with projecting and terminally rounded portions 31 and 32 in direct engagement beneath the head 10 and atop the stub flange 8 of the guard rail 6. On the main rail side of the chock, the upper projection 33 preserves a clearance under the head 5, but the long flanged bottom portion 34 bears tightly upon the main rail base flange 3 for its full width as shown in FIG. 1, and terminates in a depending lug 35 which extends through the slot 19 as a stop member.

A side brace 36 and wedge 37 on the base plate 11 will additionally help to support the guard rail against side thrusts. In most installations, a side brace and resilient wedge device of the type shown herein and in the pending application of F. W. Kern, Ser. No. 735,167, filed May 14, 1958, will overcome any possible side thrusts.

Although I have above described my invention in considerable detail, I do not Wish to be limited narrowly to the exact and specific particulars disclosed, but I may also use such other substitutes, modifications or equivalents as are embraced within the scope and spirit of the invention or pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

A guard rail assembly comprising a main rail, a guard rail in spaced parallel relation to the main rail, a base plate underlying the guard rail and the main rail and having a recess between said rails, and a chock interposed between said rails; said chock comprising a pair of wedge shaped members having interlocking means on their inner mating surfaces, a depending finger on one of said wedge shaped members engaging the recess in said base plate and holding the chock in fixed position with respect to said base plate, projecting upper and lower .arms on one member directly engaging the underside of the head and the base of the guard rail, oppositely projecting upper and lower arms on the other member, said last mentioned upper arm terminating near to but out of direct engagement with the underside of the head of the main rail, and said last mentioned lower arm engaging substantially the full width of the contiguous main rail flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 349,305 Ege Sept. 21, 1886 843,897 Korns Feb. 12, 1907 853,254 Miller May 14, 1907 961,517 Morrison June 14, 1910 999,588 Payzant Aug. 1, 1911 1,589,954 Gerhard June 22, 1926 2,024,110 ONeill Dec. 10, 1935 2,235,248 Asselin Mar. 18, 1941 2,597,697 Asselin May 20, 1952 

